ISIS ‘finally admits its leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi is dead’ after lifting ban on jihadis talking about his death in an airstrike

ISIS has finally admitted its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead, according to reports in Iraq.

The terror group is said to have confirmed that the 45-year-old was killed in an air strike in the Iraqi province of Nineveh.

Reports claim ISIS fanatics are scrambling to find a successor to the terror chief, who announced the formation of the group’s so-called caliphate in Mosul in 2014.

The claims were made by a source, speaking to Iraq’s Al Sumaria News, who said a ban on jihadis talking about the leader’s death had now been lifted.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said today that it also had information from top ISIS group leaders confirming the death.

‘Top tier commanders from IS who are present in Deir Ezzor province have confirmed the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, emir of the Islamic State group, to the Observatory,’ director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.